Improvement in latches for gates



W. T. WELLS, 0F DECATUR. ILLINOIS,

Letters Patent No. 62,102, datati! February l2, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN LATGHES FOR GATES.

dlgs rlnhule nfeneh it in tlpse '"tttters intnit nut nnkiirg'pnn nt tinsami.

T0 ALL WHOM VIT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that l, W. T. WELLS, of Decatur, in the county of Macon, andState of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Latchesfor Gatesg and I do hereby declare that the followin` is a full, clear,`and exa-ct description thereof, which will enable others skilled in theart to make and use the saule, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification. i

The present invention consists in so hanging the latch upon the gatethat it can he adjusted to be thrown more or less into the catch orkeeper provided for it, :'tccordinl as may be desired or deemednecessary to accommodate it to the gate as it sags or shrinks; and alsoin so forming the latch as to render it susceptible of theabove'adjustment. In, accompanying plate of' drawings my improvements inlatches for gatos are .illustrated-'- Figure l being an elevation of' agate with it applied thereto, and showingjhe latch und a portion ofthegate-post in section.

Figure 2, an end view of the gatepost having the latch hung in it.

Similar lett-ers of reference indicate liltc parts.

A, in the drawings, represents a gate, which may be of any of theordinary forms and styles, and made of any desired material. This gate,at one side, isrhinged to a post, B, and in its other side, C, is hung alatch, D, upon a fulerum-pin, E. This latch is-made of an angular shape,with its short arm, F, projecting from the inside edge of the post, andwith a knob or handle, G, upon its outer end, and its long arm, H,extending down the post, (that to receive it, as well as the shorterarm, is suitably cut Oum) and projecting by its bent or curved end, I,through the vertical slot J in the plate K, secured to the posts byscrews, L, in such a manner as td be susceptible of' adjustment thereonin a vertical plane, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained; thiscurved or bent end of the latch interlocking with the notch or keeper M,formed in the proper place of the fence-post N, as the gate is shut orclosed, and from which it is withdrawn by raising the handle end of thelatch, as is manifest. h v an inspection of fig. l in the drawings. Thedistance toiwhieh the curved end of the latch can project from the,Iateposx is limited hy its abutment against the upper end of thc slot Jin the slotted plate, as plainly shown in tig. Il.; so that, as isobvious, if such plate be either raised or lowered in position upon thegate, the projecting of the latch therefrom will be correspondinglyincreased or decreased, as the casemay be, and thus the latch adjustedto the requirements of the gate, if it should become sagged, or sunken,a quite important advantage; the keeper for the latch being madesuieiently elongated in a vertical direction to accommodate thedifferent positions of the latch.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination,with a latch, of a slotted plate or its equivalent, when the two are soconstructed and arranged together as to operate substantially in themanner described and for the purpose specified.

W. T. WELLS.

Witnesses G. E. Monnuousn, S. I. MoaEueusn.

